Young people are increasingly being forced to choose homes in nature-poor urban areas according to new research by Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of 90 nature organisations. The analysis shows a striking pattern: the fewer parks and green spaces an area has relative to the population, the more first-time buyers have to flock there due to lower housing costs. For every square metre of green space lost per person, an extra 494 first-time buyers are drawn to that area, the study reveals. This shows why new amendments to the Planning Bill must include provisions to improve access to nature.
Lack of access to nature has crucial implications for physical and mental health. Recent studies show that living near parks or natural green space reduces anxiety and depression by around 20%. Conversely, those living more than 800 metres from green spaces reported notably higher levels of wellbeing issues, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdowns. With risks therefore that the increasing unaffordability of nature-rich homes for younger homeowners could be deepening health inequalities.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “With the right reforms, we can turn today’s ‘nature deserts’ into greener, healthier places to live. People of every age and background deserve homes they can afford without sacrificing their beneficial connection to nature. That means rethinking how we build the homes we need at the same time as delivering high quality, greener communities that protect people’s health and creating the homes nature needs too.”
Ingrid Samuel, Placemaking & Heritage Director at the National Trust, said: “The Government is right to address the housing crisis, but it must also tackle the parallel crisis in access to nature. Green space isn’t a luxury—it’s a basic human need, vital for physical and mental health. If new homes are built without new parks, waterways, and wild spaces, the British public will have been let down. That’s why we’re urging ministers to back amendments to the Planning Bill that guarantee green and blue spaces in every future development.”
Paul de Zylva, nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “This research underlines just how deeply unequal access to green space is across the UK. Nature-rich areas are becoming a luxury many young people can’t afford – and that’s unacceptable. We urgently need a planning system that puts nature at the heart of new developments, especially in communities that are already starved of green space. Green corridors aren’t just vital for wildlife, they’re essential for people’s health, wellbeing and sense of community. The planning system must end the postcode lottery for access to nature by putting nature first.”
Previous research by Wildlife and Countryside Link revealed a ‘nature access gap’, with stark inequalities in access to nature in neighbourhoods across the country. Around 1 in 3 households in England don’t have nature near home (within a 15-minute walk) with the most deprived communities more than twice as likely to be nature deprived, and with affluent areas typically enjoying five times more green space per person than deprived areas.
Young buyers, already struggling with housing affordability, find themselves increasingly isolated in these urban nature deserts. This can exacerbate social and health inequalities.
Previous Government commitments have acknowledged everyone should have access to green space or water within a 15-minute walk from their home. Yet changes to the planning system in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill could see valuable green space built upon with no requirements to compensate for the nature loss locally. This could exacerbate nature access inequalities, including for younger buyers.
Nature groups are supporting amendments to part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which would ensure that every community has access to green space. That means stronger protections for existing green space and requirements to integrate new parks and nature areas into developments. Baroness Willis has tabled the amendment with cross-party support from Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Conservative peers.
Notes:
Wildlife and Countryside Link conducted regression model analysis using official ONS datasets for first-time buyers by Local Authority in 2023 (link to dataset) and compared this with ONS data on the number of adults (link to dataset) in each Authority as a proxy for proportion of adults who are first-time buyers. This allowed modelling to avoid bias by areas of larger population. The percentage rates for first-time buyers were analysed and mapped with in-depth greenspace data (amount of green space per person, in metre squared). This found a direct and statistically significant correlation between lack of greenspace and higher numbers of first-time buyers. The modelling shows that for every 1m2 reduction in the amount of greenspace per person in a Local Authority, there will be 494 extra first-time buyers.
Statistics and references:
- Living near green spaces linked to approximately 20% lower anxiety and depression risks (National Institute for Health and Care Research, 2022: https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/local-green-spaces-are-linked-with-better-mental-health/).
- Residents over 800 metres away from green spaces experienced significantly higher mental distress during lockdown (Nature Mental Health, 2023: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-023-00018-y).
- Affluent areas enjoy five times more green space per person compared to deprived areas (Wildlife and Countryside Link, 2022: https://www.wcl.org.uk/mapping-access-to-nature-in-england.asp).
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